In 2022, keywords are still important and useful in SEO; it’s just that they’re not the most important factor. Search engines like Google have become smarter, so they can understand user intent. What is more, algorithms now have a better sense of context and meaning, so try to integrate keywords into your content. The SEO landscape is constantly changing. These are some of the biggest changes in the past couple of years:
- Search Engines Value Authority. By authority, it understands the overall visibility and ranking of a website. Modern search engines (Google included) rely on several factors when evaluating the authority and relevance of web pages, such as inbound links, outbound links, content quality, social media shares, website design, and so on.
- Keyword Placement Matters More Than Frequency. Your long-tail keywords should appear in your page title, URL, subheaders, meta descriptions, image descriptions, etc. Placement is important. It doesn’t matter how many times a keyword appears on a website. Don’t stuff a high number of keywords or keyword phrases into your site’s text.
- Semantic Search Is Here to Stay. Right now, Google, Bing, and other search engines use something called semantic search. As opposed to keyword search, semantic search revolves around understanding search intent and the contextual meaning of words to offer more relevant results. It adds a new layer of complexity to SEO. You have to take keyword research and content optimization seriously.
If you were to ask any SEO company London, they’d confirm that keywords are here to stay. Keywords in queries are indispensable to offer a list of relevant files to satisfy an informational need.
Here’s How to Get Started with Keyword Research
Learning how to do keyword research is an essential SEO task that everyone should know. Find the best possible keywords or phrases that can be incorporated into your site’s content to satisfy user inquiries and search engine queries. The research will tell you what terms people are actively using and the competitiveness of those keywords. Also, you’ll get ideas for great content. Here’s how to do keyword research in 2022 for maximum results.
Come Up with Lots of Keyword Ideas
SEO success lies in the keywords you choose to target. Coming up with keyword ideas is easier said than done. You have to learn more about the target audience and how people speak. The question you have to ask yourself is ‘What is my target audience searching for?’. Try standing in your customers’ shoes. Think about what topics they might be interested in. Imagine you’re a coffee shop for a second. Perhaps customers are interested in ‘what coffee should I buy’ or ‘how much caffeine is in a cup of coffee. According to the experts at Passion Digital, these aren’t just topics but also keywords. Focusing on conventional keywords is a huge mistake. You should pay attention to long-tail keywords.
Think about how prospective customers would phrase things and whether they would use language phrased simply enough or technical terminology. You need to understand your customers’ mindset. To find keyword ideas, you can look at the related searches at the bottom of the page. The keyword ideas are generated by Google based on popular queries relating to the search term. The related searches can, therefore, be used as a keyword planner tool. User-generated content websites and communities are great places to find untapped keywords. You can use Reddit or Quora. The chances are that some of your target customers hang out there.
Better yet, why don’t you talk to customers? It’s not always possible to talk to people face-to-face, but don’t worry. You can get customer feedback through surveys, digital channels, onboarding forms, and so forth. During the onboarding process, for example, you can ask about their goals or struggles. Knowing and understanding customer needs is key to running a successful business. You’ll get some pretty interesting responses. Dig deep into these answers and find keyword ideas.
Select The SEO Tools To Use
There’s a wide array of SEO tools on the market, both simple and sophisticated. You can find keywords using these tools. In the following list, you’ll find one or two SEO tools you can put to good use.
Ahrefs
Select the search engine or platform and the country for which you want to get keyword ideas. Insert one or several keywords into the search box and wait for the magic to happen. Similar tools will give you near data and metrics, but Ahrefs is more comprehensive. Think like a customer of your site would. This technique is helpful in finding long-tail keywords.
SEMrush
With the Topic Research tool, you can generate a ton of keywords with just one idea. They may be similar ideas (just rephrased) or keyword ideas you haven’t even thought about. This is how it works. To make your website more organically searchable for your target audience, you must target users who have the intention of using your product or hiring your service.
Google Ads Keyword Planner
When it comes to keyword research, it’s virtually impossible to craft a quality worksheet without software. Try using Google Ads Keyword Planner. Be very specific about the information you enter into the search box. Use the words and phrases that best describe your business. This way, you’ll gain access to Google’s internal database of keywords.
Find Keywords Without Very High Competition
Low competition keywords provide quick traffic, not to mention long-tail rankings. You don’t have to build too many links or have a high website authority to rank for them. Nonetheless, optimising your website for medium competition and even high competition keywords is still a worthwhile effort. It can take some skill and experience to find high volume, low competition keywords. It’s recommended to reach out to a digital marketing agency for help. SEO tools aren’t always the answer. When it comes to keyword difficulty, they can make mistakes. Before talking to an SEO specialist, go through Facebook groups. Look through several posts to find topics that can be used for keywords.